Ontario will make it easier for health-care workers from other provinces to practice

Ontario Labor Minister David Piccini is set to introduce legislation next week aimed at making it easier for health-care workers from other provinces to work in Ontario.

The government has already allowed doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and medical lab technicians from other provinces and territories to work in Ontario “as of right” as long as they register with their profession’s regulatory college in the province.

The upcoming bill would extend those rights to 16 other health professions, including dentists, medical radiation and imaging technicians, midwives, optometrists, pharmacists and psychologists.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones said in a statement that the rule changes will remove red tape and make it easier for professionals to start caring for Ontarians sooner.

The government also says it is working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and the College of Nurses in other provinces and territories to cut application fees and documentation requirements and timelines for doctors and nurses who want to work in Ontario.

Ontario has also taken steps to make it easier for American doctors and nurses to practice in Ontario.